Change Everything at Once

The very idea of teamwork has become synonymous with modern management, and usually coincides with developments to business, technology and orgnanizations that are multiple, simultaneous and interactive. Stories abound of improved competitive advantage due to better quality and customer service, more rapid response to changes and greater employee satisfaction. This book provides a guide to the processes required to achieve these benefits, based on the findings of a two-year initiative to develop teamwork amongst manufacturers, carried out by the Tavistock Institute with the support and sponsorship of the Department of Trade and Industry. Areas covered include: self-directed, interdisciplinary teams for operations; product or process-based cells; cross-skilled, flexible, well-trained employees; an organizational structure that increases cross-functional co-operation; problem-solving and new product development teams; a style of management based on participation and development; and an organizational culture emphasizing empowerment.